Lubricant compositions and greases used for various applications, including automobiles, diesel engines, natural gas engines, axles, transmissions, and industrial applications consist of two general components, base oil and additives. Base oil is the major constituent in these lubricant compositions and contributes significantly to the properties of the lubricant compositions. In general, a few base oils are used to manufacture a wide variety of lubricant compositions by varying the mixtures of individual base oils and individual additives.
Numerous governing organizations, including original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), the American Petroleum Institute (API), Association des Consructeurs d'Automobiles (ACEA), the American Society of Testing and Materials (ASTM), the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE), and National Lubricating Grease Institute (NLGI) among others, define the specifications for base oils and lubricant compositions.
The fuel economy of vehicles produced and sold in the United States is regulated by federal agencies. One strategy auto makers use to try to improve the fuel economy of their vehicle is to use fuel-efficient engine lubricants in their vehicles. Fuel efficiency improvements in engine lubricants have been achieved by adding friction modifiers to reduce friction among moving engine parts or, alternatively, by using a lower viscosity grade engine lubricant to minimize energy loss.
Synthetic SAE 0W-30 HDMOs give better fuel economy than oils formulated to higher viscosity grades, such as, for example, SAE 15W-40. Synthetic SAE 0W-30 HDMOs are used in regions that experience extremely cold weather conditions. Synthetic SAE 0W-30 HDMOs are typically formulated with expensive synthetic basestocks, such as polyalphaolefins (PAOs) and esters, to produce desired low temperature properties. What is desired are lubricant compositions having acceptable low temperature properties, which do not require inclusion of expensive synthetic basestocks, such as polyalphaolefins (PAOs) and esters, and which exhibit fuel economy improvements.